Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[ozbeachbabe]

Ok it was great to see Tony Handcock was nowhere near the airport for my flight to Canberra on a 734. I walked up and straight down the PB Line boarding pass scanned and I was on my way. Didn't event falter in my step!

Now I will admit here that there was no one in the queue at all, but they were operating 2 lines anyway. Flight was light.

Coming home and it was a line halfway out the door. Seriously they do need 2 lanes scanning in CBR.

Any 734 flight to/from CBR has 5 F/A's (compared with 4 to other cities) so 2 F/A's come up to board but they must have 3 F/A's on the a/c during boarding.

What I don't understand is why this didn't happen on the return sector.

Are you saying there was only one F/A doing the boarding ex CBR or there were 2, but ground staff didn't do a PB call hence a 'free for all'?

 

[simongr]

Worked great on QF458 yesterday - shambles on QF454 (delayed) at Gate 1 in Melbourne as I walked past to gate 3.

 

[nlagalle]

What I don't understand is why this didn't happen on the return sector.

Are you saying there was only one F/A doing the boarding ex CBR or there were 2, but ground staff didn't do a PB call hence a 'free for all'?

At that gate in CBR there is only one scanner. so whether that is an airport design or a Qantas shortcoming I don't know... the second Cabin crew was handing out headsets. the line did move pretty quickly and to be honest I reckon most people in the line were gold or above or travelling with one anyway!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

At that gate in CBR there is only one scanner. so whether that is an airport design or a Qantas shortcoming I don't know... the second Cabin crew was handing out headsets. the line did move pretty quickly and to be honest I reckon most people in the line were gold or above or travelling with one anyway!

If it's a common user terminal (eg DRW) & QF only lease space from the company who owns CBR Airport then you can't modify things to your liking (eg install more gate readers) as it's playing with someone else's train set.

What do VA do in CBR? Just manage PB with one F/A like they do elsewhere?

 

[nlagalle]

If it's a common user terminal (eg DRW) & QF only lease space from the company who owns CBR Airport then you can't modify things to your liking (eg install more gate readers) as it's playing with someone else's train set.

What do VA do in CBR? Just manage PB with one F/A like they do elsewhere?

I'm assuming they do, although I haven't flown them out of CBR for years. Personally due to the high number of status flyers on that route, I really think you'd get a disadvantage on PB!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I'm assuming they do, although I haven't flown them out of CBR for years. Personally due to the high number of status flyers on that route, I really think you'd get a disadvantage on PB!

It would be interesting to find out what the actual figures are on QF & VA with regards to how many eligible PB pax they have on any given flight.

 

[ashleyn]

Was working OK at BRN yesterday afternoon, quite a long Q for PB so some DYKWIA types pushed in near the front of the Q, unbelievable.

 

[TonyHancock]

Was working OK at BRN yesterday afternoon, quite a long Q for PB so some DYKWIA types pushed in near the front of the Q, unbelievable.

Probably the French. From what I have seen the Swiss are quite orderly. I'm not sure BRN is entirely relevant to this thread though.

 

[nlagalle]

Leaving Sydney tonight and PB was working as it should. 3 in the PB land and heaps in the general. When the PB lane was empty the FA would call someone over from the general line.

Also of note they were guarding the Priority security lane in force. I got told off as I had my boss with me and apparently only I can use the line!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Also of note they were guarding the Priority security lane in force. I got told off as I had my boss with me and apparently only I can use the line!

Yikes was that uniformed staff or otherwise?

Wonder if they'll let a NB spouse travelling with the WP to use the lane?

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

 

[Ewing]

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

Technically only if on the same PNR. The entitlement is automatically printed on the BP of everyone on the PNR.

 

[Kangol]

Yikes was that uniformed staff or otherwise?

Wonder if they'll let a NB spouse travelling with the WP to use the lane?

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

Boarding or security lane?

The last time I left MEL dom they had staff policing the security lane. They also moved it to the LHS, I guess to be closer to the main entrance (and further away from JQ ).

 

[CaviAck]

Yikes was that uniformed staff or otherwise?

Wonder if they'll let a NB spouse travelling with the WP to use the lane?

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

I was travelling on a separate PNR to my parents as they were travelling in Y and I was in F and they still let them pass.

 

[vitagen]

Priority boarding has never worked on my last 4 QF international trips overseas ex PER...

When I say never worked, is not even implemented. Everyone including real J pax has to line up with the rest.

 

[madrooster]

Yikes was that uniformed staff or otherwise?

Wonder if they'll let a NB spouse travelling with the WP to use the lane?

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

I've seen uniformed staff policing the security line before at MEL (never at SYD before). Never had a problem taking others without status travelling with me through the priority security line. Having others travelling with you line up in the general line defeats the purpose of priority security as you end up having to wait for them on the other side.

No issues doing the same on AA either at various ports, even on different PNRs. AA even put priority bag tags on the bags of pax travelling with me with no status.

 

[simongr]

Also of note they were guarding the Priority security lane in force. I got told off as I had my boss with me and apparently only I can use the line!

Never heard that before!

The last time I left MEL dom they had staff policing the security lane. They also moved it to the LHS, I guess to be closer to the main entrance (and further away from JQ ).

This has been really annoying for me as my driver tends to park towards the other end.

 

[Kangol]

This has been really annoying for me as my driver tends to park towards the other end.

You mean you get dropped off outside at the very end of the terminal (JQ side)?
Why don't you ask him/her to drop you off closer - I generally get dropped off not too far past the last pedestrian crossing (T1/2 junction) so I have to walk "forward" a little bit then left into the terminal and pass the bag drop machines before getting into security.

 

[codash1099]

I haven't read right through this thread, so I am not sure whether this has been mentioned before.

The whole nomenclature here is wrong. We don't have priority boarding, we have priority queuing. Priority boarding as widely practiced overseas is to invite the relevant categories to board first, thereby giving them a less crowded experience and first choice of the increasingly short supply of overhead locker space.

That's what I would like to see here!

 

[nlagalle]

Yikes was that uniformed staff or otherwise?

Wonder if they'll let a NB spouse travelling with the WP to use the lane?

Do AA permit a non-OWE spouse to use the PB lane?

Was a Qantas staff member, not a security guard. Never been pulled up on it ever, thought it was a bit over zealous.

 

[nlagalle]

Boarding or security lane?

The last time I left MEL dom they had staff policing the security lane. They also moved it to the LHS, I guess to be closer to the main entrance (and further away from JQ ).

This was the security lane..

And in MEL, much better since they shifted it back to the left hand side away from JQ. Although it was not policed this morning.